[Hopeinnyc]

Hi All,

I can really usually some advice and encouragement.
I was on Zoloft for over 12 years for major anxiety/depression/OCD before it started to poop out.
I had a major breakdown and over the course of the past 6 months have
been trying every SSRI in the book amongst other medications. They
all were making me super anxious- hypomanic. The doctor said I may be in a mixed Bipolar II state.
I stopped the Zoloft a week ago and had the most horrific withdrawals.
I have been starting the Lamictal and have been so anxious, I can hardly leave the house.
Last night I tried walking around the city and felt hypervigilent, depersonalized vision changes, nausea. I had to hop in a cab and rush home. Does this get better? Is it possible to switch from an SSRI to Lamictal with success?

[Tucson]

Withdrawl symptoms from the SSRI? I know when I stop a long term med therapy for anxiety, my anxiety goes through the roof. So it may not be the Lamictal.

[Crazy Hitch]

Some SSRIs can work as anti anxiety meds. Only BP1 can have a mixed episode (my uneducated view) - BP ii don't (citation required ......)

I think you're withdrawing from your old meds.

Lamactil is more of a mood stabilizer. And because you could be tritating up at 25mg per week? You wouldn't be at a therapeutic level just yet - you have to wait til you're on 200-300mg mark.

Some people probably do switch easily. I'm still on an AD plus lamactil so I don't know.

Mixed episodes can be one of two forms - a predominant mood of hypomania with features of depression (which may have been what you had in which case AD would do you no good) or dysphoric mania where the predominant mood is depression.

Think you need to see your pdoc about your anxiety. There must be something that can help you.

[Mountainbard]

Originally Posted by Hooligan

Some SSRIs can work as anti anxiety meds. Only BP1 can have a mixed episode (my uneducated view) - BP ii don't (citation required ......)

I think you're withdrawing from your old meds.

Lamactil is more of a mood stabilizer. And because you could be tritating up at 25mg per week? You wouldn't be at a therapeutic level just yet - you have to wait til you're on 200-300mg mark.

Some people probably do switch easily. I'm still on an AD plus lamactil so I don't know.

Mixed episodes can be one of two forms - a predominant mood of hypomania with features of depression (which may have been what you had in which case AD would do you no good) or dysphoric mania where the predominant mood is depression.

Think you need to see your pdoc about your anxiety. There must be something that can help you.

Hopeinnyc it does sound like you may be having withdrawals from your old meds. The other thing is, as hooligan noted, a therapeutic dose for Lamictal is the 200-300 mg range. (I'm on 200 mg/day.) I was very depressed, and unmedicated, when I started on the Lamictal, and my new pdoc put me on Wellbutrin and Abilify as well. It took several weeks, but the depression lifted and I am currently stable. So hang in there-- things will get better. Side note-- anxiety is common with BP-- up to 90% of us experience it. So another med for your anxiety may also be in order.

[Hopeinnyc]

Thanks for all of your wonderful posts of encouragement. When you are in the middle of withdrawals and changes it feels like it will never get better. Being stuck in your head is no fun! Have any of you ever felt like your brain chemicals were so low that you were disconnected from yourself?